Sunsuria City anchored by first Chinese university in Southeast Asia

Sunsuria Bhd is optimistic that its upcoming Sunsuria City, previously known as Suria Serenia, township will become a liveable smart township.

Sunsuria City is a 331.27-acre new township that will be developed by Sunsuria Bhd. It is carved out from the existing 2,235 acres of plantation land that is being masterplanned by Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby as Serenia City (formerly Bandar Ampar Tenang).

The freehold township is located in the vicinity of Bandar Kota Warisan in Sepang, just 10 minutes drive south of Putrajaya, the administrative centre of Malaysia. The township's estimated Gross Development Value (GDV) is RM6.4 billion or more.

The location of the township benefits from its adjacency to the ERL Salak Tinggi Station and local connections connecting the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Putrajaya/Cyberjaya via the North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE Highway) and the Putrajaya-Cyberjaya Expressway (Dengkil Bypass/Federal Route 29).

It has been confirmed that Sime Darby will build a full interchange from ELITE Highway and a 4-lane access to the township.

Sunsuria City will host residences, serviced residences, retail shops, business parks and a commercial hub with dynamic and beautiful landscape. The commercial hub features the integration of park and ride facility, business and boutique hotels, workplaces, retail, food and beverage outlets and cultural institutions.

Sunsuria executive chairman Datuk Ter Leong Yap said that the GDV for the first phase of the development is roughly RM900 million. It will feature 663 units of low-rise apartments, priced below RM400,000 per unit.

Emphasis is placed upon the establishment of appropriately scaled development lots with an integrated network of shared connector paths while the integration of the landscape with sustainable water management system will promote enhanced liveability.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia on 20 April 2015, Sunsuria Bhd said it has signed a conditional agreement to buy the said township land from Sime Darby Property (Sungai Kapar) Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sime Darby Property, for RM173.4 million. The transaction values the land at RM41 per sq ft.

The development company, Sime Darby Sunsuria Development Sdn Bhd (SDSDSB), was incorporated as a 50:50 joint venture between Sime Darby Property and Sunsuria Gateway Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Sunsuria Bhd.

When the conditions of the purchase agreement are fulfilled, Sunsuria Bhd will then have full control of SDSDSB. This will keep the property developer active for 12 years after the project approval. The company is expected to submit the township planning for approval by June this year.

Co-existing within the Suria Serenia township is China's first overseas university branch campus, the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus (XMUMC), and the Kuala Lumpur International Outlets (KLIO).

The prestigious university was originally founded by Southeast Asia's renowned educator Tan Kah Kee, who helped to establish schools for the overseas Chinese community in the region during the early 20th century.

On 3 July 2014, the ground-breaking ceremony for the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus was held.

The university campus will built on an area of 150 acres (area excluded Sunsuria City) with a planned total floor space of 470,000 sq m to be built over two phases and an expected total investment of RM1.3 billion.

The first enrolment of 500 students is expected to begin in September 2015. This will grow to 5,000 in 2020, and eventually reaching its maximum capacity of 10,000 students. Most of the students will come from Malaysia, China, and other neighbouring and regional countries.

XMUMC will offer various bachelor and master degree programs. It will have 5 schools in its first phase: School of Information Science and Technology, School of Ocean and Environment, School of Economics and Management, School of Chinese Language and Culture, and the School of Medicine.

The ratio of students to teachers is set to be 15:1 and all courses will be delivered in English, with the exception of Chinese Studies and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur International Outlets (KLIO) will be the third outlet shopping centre in the Greater Kuala Lumpur region. It is being developed as a joint venture between Chicago-based Horizon Group Properties and local firm Mainstay Properties Sdn Bhd, the property arm of Mainstay Holdings Sdn Bhd.

The joint venture had earlier purchased 40 acres of land near the proposed interchange, north of XMUMC from Sime Darby to build KLIO.

Scheduled to open on 1 July 2016, KLIO will have a total floor area of 400,000 sq ft. It will be developed over two phases with the first phase taking up 26 acres and the second phase 4 acres. The second phase will be an extension of the first phase.

KLIO will have an outdoor environment with 100% covered walkways, upscale architectural design and materials consistent with the image of the respective luxury retail tenants.

The first phase of the outlet mall is expected to house 150 retailers including a foodcourt and full-service restaurant outlets. Several premium fashion brands is expected to be occupying duplex retail units. There will be 2,000 car parking bays that will be built beneath the outlet mall.

Both Sunsuria City and Serenia City are expected to preview their respective first phase residential late 2015 or 2016.